


Once More, This Time Without Drowning

by grainjew



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, Time Travel, and they are more than ready to wreak even more havok than last time around, conquerors haki is so fantastic, get fuckin wrekt arlong, idk how they got there but all the straw hats are back in the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 13:31:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12842214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grainjew/pseuds/grainjew
Summary: Time-travelled Straw Hats take down Arlong again and confuse a lot of people (Nojiko) along the wayOne of them, a lanky kid in a straw hat with a smile vicious as Nami's eyes, tilted his head at the two of them. "Ready, Nami?"Nami turned to look at him and grinned back, matching the viciousness. "Never readier, Captain."





	Once More, This Time Without Drowning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fallingwish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingwish/gifts).



> I wrote this on a whim and have no context for it, but it's a good time, so enjoy yourself

Nojiko wouldn't have known it, but the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at Cocoyashi village half a day earlier than last timeline and four times more united, clustered around the Going Merry's figurehead in frightening solidarity.

All she knew was that Nami had come home, and she looked _different_ , something between at peace and gleefully vengeful.

"Nojiko!" Nami yelled from the deck of an unfamiliar ship, making what was essentially a running leap off the side and landing a foot in front of her sister, thankfully not disturbing the basket of tangerines Nojiko was carrying over to Genzo's. Always a careful one, her sister. Although the jumping ability was certainly new.

"Nami," said Nojiko, pulling coldness over her face to keep the charade up. _Nami, we're in public, what gives_?

"Don't bother," said Nami, something like vindictive euphoria in her familiar cheeky smile. ( _She's smiling!_ ) "It's about time to pay Arlong what he's due. Gather the villagers for me, would you? They'll enjoy this, I'm sure."

"Nami?" Nojiko was certain Nami could hear her confusion. This wasn't the simple joy of finally being able to buy back the village. There was something else here. "What's going on?"

"You'll see," said Nami, sticking out her tongue. Nojiko decided that she kind of wanted to strangle her sister. Nami and cryptic went together like Bellemere and quitting smoking.

Before Nojiko could make good on her impulses, though, four unfamiliar people ( _wait... was that Pirate Hunter Zoro_?) launched themselves from the ship and landed next to Nami.

One of them, a lanky kid in a straw hat with a smile vicious as Nami's eyes, tilted his head at the two of them. "Ready, Nami?"

Nami turned to look at him and grinned back, matching the viciousness. "Never readier, Captain."

_???_

"Seriously, Nojiko, get the villagers," said Nami. "They're not gonna wanna miss this show."

"Who are  _they_?" asked Nojiko, because really. Come _on_ , Nami, at least introduce the people you're going to execute your -- whatever you're doing with.

"Oh, that's my captain, Monkey D Luffy," said Nami, glancing in the straw-hatted boy's direction again. "The long-nosed one is Usopp, our sniper, Sanji-kun there is the cook, and the swordsman is Roronoa Zoro." She looked back at Nojiko and blinked innocently. "Did I not tell you, Nojiko? I joined the Straw Hat Pirates."

Nojiko, again, experienced the distinct urge to strangle her sister. "No, you didn't, actually."

The captain, Luffy, laughed loudly and cheerily. "She's my navigator and my precious friend!"

Nojiko blinked at him, and then decided to just accept this because he was either someone Nami had hoodwinked and therefore was about to get murdered by Arlong, or somehow this was all sincere and he was still about to get murdered by Arlong, so she'd best not get too attached. But Nami looked so _happy_. Well, under the icy vengeance, anyways.

"Anyways, let's go kick Arlong's ass!" said Luffy.

"Um, _what_?" said Nojiko. Was he an _idiot_? She glanced around at the little group of pirates. None of them looked cowed. Not even Nami, who should _definitely_ know better. She decided to just ask. "Are you an idiot?"

"He made Nami sad," said Luffy, firmly, not answering her question at all. "Let's go."

They turned abruptly and walked off, all focused purpose. Nojiko decided that she was out of her depth.

"Don't forget to bring the villagers!" Nami shouted back, cheerfully. "Meet you at Arlong Park!"

Nojiko opened her mouth to say something back, but then noticed that pretty much the entire population of the village had gathered around while she wasn't looking, clearly interested in the newcomers who had arrived with Nami. They also looked perfectly ready to follow after.

Nojiko felt Genzo's hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, but his eyes were glued to the retreating backs of that idiot and his crew and _Nami_. "Nami believes they can do it," said Genzo, quietly, as though contemplating. "And she knows Arlong best of all of us."

"She looked happy," said Nojiko. "Like, really happy."

Understanding passed between them, and they ran after the Straw Hat Pirates, the rest of the village at their backs.

 

They arrived at the gates of Arlong Park in good time, a confused mob following safely behind the pirates, who didn't even look back once. It was almost a shock to see them stop in front of the massive doors, so invested had Nojiko been in watching them walk.

Nami looked over at Luffy and grinned that vicious grin again. "I want to see his face when he realizes he's beaten, Luffy. Give him hell."

"Oh, I will," said Luffy, and there was something like a grim promise in his tone.

And then his arm stretched back to an inhuman length ( _what the hell_?) and snapped back, his fist impacting the doors with tremendous force.

They fell.

The fishmen inside turned, gaping, and Nojiko took distinct pleasure in the silence of complete and utter shock.

Just as they were beginning to start up a confused and outraged chorus of shouting, Luffy jumped casually into the courtyard. "So, which one of you is Arlong?" he asked, in the same tone a person would use to make small-talk. "I kind of forgot."

Nami put her hand on her forehead and sighed. "Idiot captain."

"A HUMAN DARES TO PUT A HOLE IN MY WALL?" growled Arlong, from where he lounged in his chair. Nojiko almost jumped back instinctively, even though his glare and his menacing presence as he stood was all focused on Luffy. "DO YOU REALIZE WHO YOU ARE?"

"Ah, it's you," said Luffy, still in that calm voice that Nojiko was beginning to realize meant _danger_. "And of course I know who I am! I'm the man who's going to be King of the Pirates!"

A flat statement, as certain as anything else he had said so far. Nojiko felt her eyes widen. _Nami, what have you gotten yourself into_?

"You? A no-name _human_? _Pirate King_?" Arlong laughed, loudly, mockery echoing off the walls.

And then suddenly he was choking, falling to his knees as his subordinates collapsed to the ground around him like ragdolls.

_What_?

Luffy stood at full height in the middle of it all, pride of presence hanging off him like a cloak. He advanced slowly on Arlong, who looked like he was struggling to stay conscious.

"You can use the Conquering King's Haki," Arlong gasped out, shock and horror written all over his face. "In the _East Blue_?"

"Where did you think Gol D Roger was from, Raftel?" bit back Luffy, sarcastic.

Whatever the force pushing him down was, it seemed to increase, or else Arlong lost his battle against it, because he collapsed suddenly to be spread-eagle on the ground, glaring helplessly at Luffy.

"You made my navigator cry," said Luffy. "This is merciful."

And with that, Arlong collapsed into unconsciousness and Luffy turned away to face his audience, smile bright. "Nami!"

"Yeah?"

"You are my friend!"

"Yeah!"

Nojiko hadn't heard Nami sound so _happy_ in eight entire years.

Luffy's grin as he stared at Nami was wide and satisfied and adoring, and Nojiko, still trying to process Arlong's unconscious body, could glimpse why Nami decided to call this man captain. "Shishishishi. Good!" Luffy turned to stare at the three-story building that was Arlong Park, frowning critically. "Now for that ugly thing."

"Luffy, wait!" said Nami. He turned back to her, questioning. "Usopp, I know you haven't finished putting together my clima-tact, but it's close enough to done that I can call up a storm, right?"

The long-nosed boy dug a couple lengths of metal out of his bag and tossed them over to Nami. "Control might be finicky, but you should be good to go."

"Right," she said. "Luffy, I'll take care of Arlong Park."

"Have fun!" chirped Luffy, plopping down to sit on the ground as Nami advanced to stand near him.

Then, Nami did... _something_ with her metal rods and blue bubbles emerged and floated up into the air, followed by red bubbles. Before Nojiko knew it, a nasty-looking storm cloud had formed above the building. Nami looked very satisfied, and sent several yellow bubbles floating up towards it.

"Thunderbolt tempo!"

And the sky crashed down, a flurry of lightning-bolts slamming into the roof of Arlong Park. It cracked under their pressure, and then crumbled like a sandcastle against the tide into a smoking crater.

Nojiko stared, wide-eyed. _Nami_ did that?

Nami whistled. "Damn, Usopp, I see what you meant about control."

Luffy laughed, carefree as the breeze, and then turned to stare seriously at Nami. "Are you satisfied?"

"My village is free, that asshole is thoroughly humiliated, we're about to go on the most incredible adventure..." She waves her arms as though encompassing the entire world. "Captain, the only way I could be more satisfied is if we weren't practically broke."

 


End file.
